Not the Past, Not the Future
by Lagrenn
Summary: Time isn't always a blessing... to some it's like eternal damnation. [9 PROMPTS][SPOILERS]


Disclaimer - Riviera is property of Sting. I've got nothing to do with the production and whatnot. 

Huh, it's been a long time since I even wrote any sort of fanfictions, so I hope this is okay. I was planning on writing something concentrated on Ledah but I decided to go with Malice right when I decided to start writing. This is actually not even a entire story of its own, just nine random prompts found at livejournal 'cause I'm not very good at thinking up ideas (I lack originality!) and they're fun to do. The prompts are listed in chronological order, but the numbers were done alphabetically so the list isn't right whenit comes to that. Beware, some stuff might end up being repetitive since I wrote this at the dead of night when I should be sleeping since I already lack that by a large measure, eh...

* * *

**PROMPT 8. p a s s i o n** - how far can a simple interest go? 

Her mother often commented on how devoted she was to the gods. While Malice was proud to be a devout and young follower of the gods, the main reason she had even begun praying was to beg for her mother's health to return. The beginning of her religion seemed to have started for the wrong reason, but the young girl felt content with the praises nevertheless. She believed her mother to be always right.

It eventually became a hobby of sorts. As the illness that plagued her mother grew worse, many saw Malice praying nearly every hour or so. She was desperate, so desperate to have her mother walk and play with her deprived daughter again.

Originally it would have been called a passionate interest, but the hobby took a sharp and twisted turn into some form of uncanny obsession. Then she never stopped praying.

**PROMPT 3. b l o o d** - the color red isn't always a bad sight really...

Malice was not one to shy away from the sight of blood. In fact she liked the presence of the red liquid. Lips were at their fullest and best color when blood coursed through the body, the heart pumping and beating to provide life and presenting beauty by putting a rosy kind of color to skin. The crimson liquid was welcome to her, and every time she accidentally scraped or cut herself she would take the small drops and gently rub them on the cheek to provide more color. She often did that to another too, to comfort herself when watching that woman she colored struggled.

Because oh gods, her mother was so _pale_ and she didn't know what to do.

**PROMPT 9. w h y ? **- there's constant begging and calls for help but none comes.

She had prayed everyday, more than once or twice, even more than thrice. Relentlessly she had begged the gods to save her mother, to release her loved one from the pain the woman suffered and bore. Her mother would tell her she'd be feeling better one day only to feel worse the next, and Malice knew it was never going to get better. But she tried anyway, kept on praying and almost yelling at the gods in her broken mind that so desperately cried out for help.

Maybe the gods were ignorant. Or had she somehow angered them?

Either way she continued to pray even though she knew it wasn't doing any better idly speaking to spiritual figures when her mother was in bed, coughing and wheezing with what might be her last breaths. When she coughed, Malice winced, when she wheezed even harder, her daughter's heart skipped.

And when her mother's heart stopped, Malice cried the cry that could have been heard by the gods above.

**PROMPT 7. g i f t **- just how twisted can the concept of talent be?

He'd told her she had a gift. A sort of talent that was overlooked by the officials and could have allowed her success in becoming what she strived to be.

It was most likely to catch her attention in the first place, Malice figured. Hector had taken notice of her and sought after the failure after she had left the place where she failed to become a grim angel. The magi did not tell Malice what exactly that sort of gift was, but she didn't even bother finding out. She blindly grabbed at the opportunity to become what she wished to be, pledging loyalty and service to Hector.

As time passed, Malice began to make guesses on what he had seen in her. She ruled each prediction out as the logics and details were thrown in and out, until she stumbled upon the only remaining possible reason. Killing.

**PROMPT 2. a l o n e **- if loneliness is a problem, then fight it.

The past was something Malice despised dwelling on. One thing happened after another--it was life. It didn't matter if it was fair or not, it was just the natures of the cruel and bitter world. Out of experience, she knew that much. Having never really known her father, she didn't exactly consider that a loss. But her mother was a different story... Her mother had been kind and loving like any other single parent, but ill fate had struck her down with continuous stinging blows until she finally submitted and crumbled. In that case, Malice was angered with the gods for not having done anything to save her beloved mother she had prayed so hard for.

She had long concluded that life indeed was not fair at all.

But when Hector had given her a chance at becoming a grim angel, she had felt welcomed for the first time in a long while. The missions she carried out, however, were as dull as can be and missed the one thing she desperately needed to sought out despite her plans to never admit it; companionship. Was it wrong to want any sort of partner or companion to spend some spare time or share halcyon moments with?

Even so, she already knew the cruelties of life. It was only a matter of standing up against it. Even if she was lonely, Malice would fight. She'd pursue her goals independently without any aid, to prove that loneliness did not have control over her. The grim angel was alone, but she knew better than to love another person after continuously losing to ill fate.

**PROMPT 1. a f r a i d** - time isn't always the most cherishable thing in the world.

Despite the way it seemed on the outside, Malice certainly had her own fears. They just weren't that evident.

Of course for the majority of her adolesence she had feared being lonely with no one to love. Her father and mother had both left her, and there was no one else to care for the young blond child that was left by herself.

Ever since she became a grim angel, things had changed. For the better or for the worse was the question that couldn't be answered. But nevertheless, her fears had changed too, shifting from loneliness to one ultimate shadow of hers that would haunt her for the rest of her life serving Hector.

Almost unhesitantly she had sold her loyalty to the magi in return of becoming a grim angel. Her future was claimed to have been taken in the exchange where she would serve him for the rest of her life. While the concept seemed rather odd to the girl, Malice was far too... anxious and quite excited, per se, to actually question the man's price. She had accepted.

Many of Malice's missions went by in a flash as if the grim angel was in some sort of hurry. As defense she supplied the reason of not having enough time. It technically made sense. Her future, her time, had been offered to Hector for his own disposal, thus leaving her with none for herself. In time she would be nothing but a mindless puppet of his because of the deal. He tied strings around her limbs, controlling her every movement with whatever he desired.

While she had no reason to fear the magi, Malice had plenty to loathe time itself.

**PROMPT 4. c a s t l e **- pretty on the outside but terrible on the inside...

The huge corridors of the vast hallways were a magnificent sight. They glowed with a brilliant kind of light and sheen that made it appear more beautiful than it already was. While it was certainly an image to treasure, Malice did not appreciate the atomosphere it possessed.

It was too quiet.

With each step she took, a loud _tap _or _click _echoed for a long time recessively down the halls. Her mind went into a frenzy from the unnatural halcyon aura the chambers emitted, making up their own imaginative sounds from the far too silent rooms to the point at one moment Malice could've sworn she heard the room actually _moan_. That was not the main reason she disliked the place, however. Because of the silent nature of the castle, the grim angel's mind couldn't help but wander off to the past or possible future.

And for as long as she lived, time was the thing she wanted to think _least_ about.

**PROMPT 5. d e s t i n y **- the strings and ties that bind the damned to torment.

To Malice, destiny was rubish. Having no control over her own actions was not something she was very fond of, though ironically that was what currently was taking place with Hector instead of the gods. He held absolute power over her very being, yet she had no problem with the controlling. She owed him much more than she could ever pay back, for a whole variety of reasons. Reasons only she seemed to understand herself.

Even as her axe slashed against her unfortunate foes, killing each and every sprite she laid eyes on while taking their souls, she felt nothing. Maybe joy. Not in killing, but in being a grim angel and serving that purpose. But that itself was destiny, wasn't it? A system of working for the magi, it was fate for the grim angels to follow instructions from their superiors.

Oh, the sad irony of it all.

**PROMPT 6. d y i n g **- it doesn't sound bad, but how about experiencing it?

She'd given up her future--the thought of dying had indeed occured to her often but it never held significance. Her duty and life was bound to Hector, and it was to be as such for as long as she lived. He had given her what she wanted in the past--to be a grim angel, and he had allowed her the privilege of being just that. She knew she was forever indebted to him for his actions.

But when she coiled her arms around that girl companion of Ein and offered both their souls to him, she felt weaker than ever in an instant.

In the verge of panicking Malice struggled, fighting against that sudden force that pushed into her with such sharp pain she couldn't even emit a gasp. Subconsciously she released the girl she had held captive, falling into a dark abyss of her own.

No more thoughts registered but one. _Was my loyalty truly out of will... or was it out of blindness?_

Everything went blank.

* * *

Ahh I'm so tired! The prompts were filled in the most random order so some facts--as mentioned--might have been repeated a lot. Sorry about that. Reviewing would be nice since comments and criticisms on how to improve are nice. If you flame chances are I'll just laugh at you and eat marshmallows.

But now my back and shoulder are hurting from slouching so much while writing this... and I lack a few hours of sleep for the last few days, so... I'll be taking my leave now. Tah-tah.


End file.
